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For Prestige mechanics in previous Total War titles, see National Prestige.

TW3K blog-Prestige

Faction summary screen in Total War: Three Kingdoms

Prestige returns in Total War: Three Kingdoms as an important resource for player to rank up the faction.

Prestige[]

When the player develop their faction and fulfill certain gameplay requirements from the game, the faction gains Prestige.

Prestige is gained by either conquering new counties, constructing certain buildings, or equipping certain ancillaries (i.e. the Imperial Jade Seal). For the Yellow Turbans, their "prestige" is referred to as "Enlightenment", and is gained by either researching techs or constructing certain buildings.

When the faction gains enough prestige, the Faction Rank rises. With a higher rank, player is able to raise additional armies, and appoint more court positions in the territory.

The Warlord controlled by the player begins the game as a mere noble, and will have to work through the ranks before the player can make their Warlord the Emperor, with each rank bringing new benefits such as new assignment slot and advanced diplomacy options.

Faction ranks[]

Faction rank is a measure of player factions's progress and development, and as player advance through the faction ranks, new bonuses are unlocked. Player's objective is to reach the rank of emperor, and defeat any other emperors to become the sole ruler of China. To achieve higher faction ranks, player must gather prestige from gameplay.

Player can view the faction ranks by opening the Faction Summary panel by click player warlord’s (i.e. faction leader's) portrait at the top-left corner of the campaign screen. Mousing over each of the ranks informs player of its specific benefits, such as raising faction army cap and increasing the amount of administrators and assignments player can issue. New bonus will be available with each rank. For Han factions, player can choose priorities when upgrading the faction with Prestige Points.

The chief ways to improve a warlord’s prestige are by conquering new settlements and building specific buildings. A commandery’s town center chain grants increasing prestige with each upgrade level. Government (yellow) building chains also provide prestige. Playing either as an expansionist (wide) or an economic builder (tall) are both viable in Three Kingdoms, and various faction leaders having fitting specializations to enhance certain playstyles.

Other sources may grant player's faction further prestige, such as certain missions or events for example.[1]

List of Faction Ranks[]

Base Game[]

The ranks on the left of the table are the ranks that the majority of factions need to progress through as they gain prestige, but a few factions have ranks unique to them.

Dong Zhuo and Zheng Jiang both have faction ranks unique to them, while still sharing the royal ranks prior to emperor with everyone else.

Dong Zhou starts at a higher rank than anyone else, and his ranks reflect his status as the master of the Han Empire though his control of the child emperor.

Zheng Jiang's ranks reflect her status as an outlaw.

The Yellow Turbans also have unique faction ranks that reflect their philosophy.

The Faction Ranks, in order, are:
Majority Warlords Dong Zhou Zheng Jiang Yellow Turbans
Noble N/A Bandit Devoted
Second Marquis Outlaw Balanced
Marquis Chancellor of State Raider Healed
Duke Grand Master Bandit Leader Empowered
King King Bandit Queen Ascended
Emperor Emperor Empress Enlightened
N/A Yellow Sky Mandate

Mandate of Heaven[]

Faction ranks remain much the same as in the base game, but there are some differences.

Example: Liu Bei starts of with no territory with the rank of Shoemaker. He must gain prestige in order to advance to "noble," the starting rank of the base game.

Nanman[]

The Nanman have unique faction ranks that reflect their culture. Of the four playable Nanman warlords, King Shamoke, a character between Han and Nanman, alone has the ability to stake a claim as Emperor of China.

The Nanman faction Ranks, in order, are:
Rank
Headman
Chieftan
King of the Nanman
Ruler of the South
Greatest Ruler
The Nanman Kingdom Emperor (Shamoke Only)

Eight Princes[]

The prestige and faction rank system functions much the same way in the Eight Princes campaign, yet the ranks are different. Additionally, players have the option to chose whether they become emperor or regent, especially when the capital, Luoyang, is captured – however, capturing the capital before achieving sufficient rank may result in the emperor fleeing to a different faction.

The faction ranks, in order, are:
Rank
Minor Prince
Prince
Grand Prince
Imperial Prince
Victorious Prince

When players reach the rank of Grand Prince, there will be a small chance that they will be offered the regency. This chance increases with the continued advancement in rank.

Gallery[]

Notes & Trivia[]

  • Oddly, Dong Zhou's base game faction rank doesn't change even if he loses control of Emperor Xian, nor do his ranks get passed to whoever takes control of the emperor from him.
  • Additionally odd, is that even though he is in the same category as Zheng Jiang, Zhang Yan shares the same ranks as the majority of starting playable warlords.

References[]

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